Turbotransmission



June 26, 1945. i MILLER 2,379,174

TURBO TRANSMISSION Filed April 28, 1941 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 IN VENTOR. Ear/wave J/V/u :2

Armin/fr Petented June 26 i945 entree ser e t,379,l'll

'EURBGTRANSWSSEQN Raymond E. Miller, Detroit, Mich. Applicntion April 28, will, den-int No. 8%;811

1 Claim (till. do-dd) This invention relates to turbotransmissions, end more particularly to turbotrensmissions for motor vehicles.

Because of e. difierential in speed between the driving and driven members oi a. fluid coupling oi the were generally used on motor vehicles,

is unjnherentslippege between the memhers. This slip is at minimum when operating at high speed, end at maximum when the drivling member is rotating et stalling speed or e motor supplying power to the driving member, with the driven member static, and during this maximum mriod of slip there is a tendency for the vehicle to creep forward. This is objectionable, and it is the aim of the instant invention to overcome this obiectioneble feature.

An object or the invention is to provide a. fluid coupling for a motor vehicle including means for inhibiting creepege of the vehicle after coming to e. stop.

Another object or the invention is to provide is fluid coupling including a pump for delivery of fluid to the coupling having the cherecterist'lc of varying pressure on the fluid in relation to the difierence speed between the driving and driven members of the coupling.

@ther objects end advantages will appear from ill reservoir, and arranged in this flange is an inlet port 26.

The hollow flange it has therein spaced webs to connecting the side walls of the flange and transverse openings extending through the flange and webs. A ring Bil supported on one side of the fisnge it hes openings therethrough registering with the openings in the flange and webs.

This ring provides e. suitable carrier for a. fluid seal 32. oppositely disposed rings or and so supported on the other side of the flange as have corresponding openings registering with the openings in the flsnge end webs, and bolts 38 passed through the openings in the rings, the flange, and the webs serve to secure the rings against displacement. The ring it has a, concentric sleeve zlt provided with internal splines, end on opening 412 through the ring in registration with on outlet port so in the flange 2-6, and the ring at hes a concentric sleeve to providing n support for as bearing is and also torn fluid seal to.

A hub 52 bolted or otherwise fixedly secured to the flange is of the crank shaft 92 supports a torque converter housing 5t within the bell housing ill. The housing t6 hos thereon a, ring the iollowing description taken in connection with the drawings forming e. port of this speci= ncetion, end in which,

Fig. l is a, sectional view, partly broken ewes. oi e. torque converter embodying the invention;

Fig. 2 is a, sectional view substantially on line 2-2, Fig. 1, illustrating the pump and essocinted valve;

Fig. 3 is an enlarged detail view illustrating a. verieble retarding member;

Fig. 4 is e iregznentan/ view illustrating e pert oi the retarding means;

Hg. 5 is a, fragmentary view illustrating another part of retarding means;

fig. c is e iregmentery view of the valve mechanism; and

Fig. l is g fragmentary view of the teed mocha.- nism ior the reaction member. j

mien-mg to the drawings .iormore specific details of the invention, it represents e crank case of an internal combustion engine, and i2 the crank shaft of the engine having a conventional flange i i. A bell housing lS-suitebly secured to the crank case includes a. reservoir 98, having a filling opening 20 normally closed as by a. plug 22. 'As shown, the reservoir is ennular, and on its inner perimeter is a hollow flange 38 having direct communication with the $6 seer ior connection of a. starter, not shown, and suitnbly secured to the inner well of the housing is e plurality of impeller blades 58. The hub 62 has therein e bearing til, and at center shaft it is supported for rotation on the beerings 38 end so in axial alignment with the crank shaft it. The cenwr shaft 52 has splined there to one member 66 of a, conventional clutch, and suitably iourneled in the end of the center shaft 62 ndjecent the clutch member is a driven slmft so oriented to cerry another clutch member, not shown, for cooperation with the clutch mem- "oer M.

n fluid delivery pump 63 of the rotary type includes o housing it splined to the center sheft $32, The housing hes a chamber l2 arranged eccentricelly therein. This chamber has an inlet port its low pressure dischsrge port it and e high pressure discharge port it, and o piston valve to 101' control of the discharge ports loaded by a. spring it. The valve is operative to normally maintain the low pressure port it open, end to open the high pressure port l8 and close the low pressure port upon attainment of a predetermined pressure in the valve chamber.

' A shaft, integral with andconcentrically of the hub 52, is extended through a. sleeve 86 on one side of the housing I6 into the chamber 12', and the shaft N-is-mflled-to provide a rotor ports I04.

88 having thereon a plurality of spring-pressed vanes 90 yieldingly engaging the wall of the chamber 12, and a collar 82 sleeveirover the shaft is suitably secured to the sleeve 88.

The housing of the pump has an annular shoulder 84 concentrically disposed with respect to the axis of the housing, and fixedly supported on this shoulder is a fluidcheck or retarder including a band 88 encircling an annular ring 86 having reversely disposed pockets I00 and I02, and the pockets I00 are provided with discharge The annular ring 88 is fitted snugly on the shoulder 84, and the band 86 is secured to the housing to retain the ring 88 in spaced relation to the face of the shoulder so as to provide a passage I06in direct communication with the high pressure port 18, and'also to support the ring 88 substantially flush with a side wall of the housing.

A two-stage turbine'includes a web I08 supported 'on the housing I0 of the pump 88 for rotation within the housing 54. The first stage of the turbine comprises a plurality of vanes IIO secured to an outer shroud section H2 and sup- Ported on an inner shroud section I fixedly attached to an inner shroud section II8 adjacent the blades '58 of the impeller, and the inner section H6 is fixedly attached to an inner shroud section II8 supported on a plurality of blades I mounted on the web I08 and constituting the second stage of the turbine.

A sleeve I22 slipped over the center shaft 62 and splined in the sleeve 40 is fixedly supported in spaced relation to the center shaft to provide an annular passage I24 between the sleeve and the shaft for delivery of fluid through the ports 42 and 44 communicating with the reservoir to the intake port 14 of the pump.

The sleeve I22 has a reduced portion adJacent its free end, and fitted on this reduced portion is a heavy sleeve I26 having external threads I28 with rounded approaches I80. A collar I22 is also fitted on the reduced portion, and the heavy sleeve and collar are spot-welded to one another and also to the sleeve I22. The collar I82 has an off-set portion I04 in spaced relation to the case or housing of the pump and also the member 88, and the oil-set portion has thereinspaced pockets I88 adapted to register alternately with the pockets I02, and the ports I04 of the pockets I 00, so as to vary the pressure on the fluid when delivered by the pump through the high pressure P rt 1 A needle bearing I 38 on the sleeve I22 supports for rotation a sleeve I40 having a flange I42 providedwith threads I44 of the same pitch as the threads on the heavy sleeve I28 for registration therewith. The approach end of the threads I44 have dogs I46, and suitably mounted'on the sleeve I22 is an expansible memberor brake I48 operative to maintain the sleeve I40 in abutting engagement with the sleeve I22 and to resist rotation thereof.

A carrier I50 mounted for travel on the sleeves I26 and I40 includes a collar or sleeve I52 having internal threads I54 for cooperation with the threads on the sleeves I28 and I40, and the appreach ends of the threads I 54 are provided with dogs I58 for cooperation with the dogs I48 on the threads of the sleeve I40.

The carrier I 58 supports a reaction member including a web I58 haflhg a press flt on the collar, and the web has arranged thereon a plurality of vanes I60 supporting a shroud I82 having thereon a plurality of indexing vanes I64, carrying an inner shroud I66.

A ring I68 supported on the offset portion of the collar I82 has thereon a flange I10 bridging the gap between the members 88 and I34 so as to check fluid flow. Spaced rods I12 supported on the ring I68 extend through openings in the web I58 of the reaction member, and sleeved on the rods are springs I14 of various lengths for effectively varying the resistance to movement of the reaction member into operative position.

In a normal operation, assuming that the unit is filled with fluid to substantially its capacity, force transmitted from the power plant to the impeller and pump results in driving the impeller and the pump. Initially the pump develops suflicient pressure to actuate the valve 80 so as to close the port I6 and open port 18 to thus divert the fluid to the pockets I02 and I36, which coact to restrain rotation of ,the turbine. When the impeller speed is high enough, the fluid discharged by the impeller against the turbine blades will overcome the restraining action of the pool:- ets I02 and I36 so as to cause rotation of the turbine. Fluid is delivered by the pump to the impeller at a rate proportionate to the differential speed of rotation between the impller and the turbine. The impeller energizes the fluid, and the energy of the fluid is received on the first stage 0 of the turbine and on the vanes I60 of the reaction member I58. This causes rotafluid acting on the vanes of the turbine results in increase in the speed of the turbine. As this increase of speed approaches that of the impeller, the angle of movement of the fluid leaving the first stage of the turbine shifts from impinging on the faces of the reaction vanes I60 to impinge 0n the backs of the reaction vanes, and this causes the reaction member to spiral on the threaded sleeve I26 out of the fluid circuit onto the sleeve I40, and as the reaction member retracts, the index vanes I64 supported on the reaction. vanes move into position between the first and second stages of the turbine and direct the flow of fluidvfrom th first stage of the turbine to the second stage thereof, and under this condition the unit functions as a fluid coupling.

During this stage of operation, the pump 68 delivers fluid through the low pressure port 16- into the vortex chamber or fluid circuit, and continues to do so while there is a small differential of speed between the impeller and the turbine. When the difierential of speed between the'impeller and the turbine increases, the pressure imposed by the pump on the fluid moves the valve against the resistance of the spring 82 to close the low pressure port 16 and to open the high pressure port 18, whereupon the fluid between the impeller and the turbine, the volume of fluid delivered by the pump increases proportionately. During this period the fluidin the circuit energized by the impeller shifts its angle of discharge and impinges on the backs of the index vanes, causing the reaction member to spiral into the fluid circuit. Upon initial movement of the reaction member tending to spiral into the circuit, the threads EM on the carrier I50 of the reaction member disengage the dogs !55 thereof from the dogs M6 and engage the threads M2 on the sleeve I69 and advance thereon to the approaches 30 on the threads 828. The approaches I30 serve to guide the threads ISQ into engagement with the threads I28, and as the carrier advances on the threads I28, the reaction member spirals into the fluid circuit against the progressively increasing resistance imposed by the springs PM.

It is obvious from the foregoing that the pump 68 delivers fluid to the impeller at a rate proportionate to the relative diflerential speed of the impeller and the turbine, and that the maximum volume of fluid is delivered to th impeller when the turbine is static and the impeller is rotating at stalling speed, and, correspondingly, the minimum volume of fluid is delivered by the pump to the impeller when the unit is operating at its maximum efficiency.

While this invention has been described in connection with certain specific embodiments, the principle involved is susceptible of numerous other applications that will readily occur to persons skilled in the art. The invention is, therefore, to be limited only as indicated by the scope of the appended claim.

Having thus described the various features of the invention, what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent is;

A fluid transmission comprising an impeller, a turbine providing in conjunction therewith avortex chamber, a pump having its housing fixedly secured to the turbine and its rotor fixedly secured to the impeller, and a pressure actuated valve for control of the discharge of the pump operative to deliver fluid directly to the vortex chamber during one phase of operation and divert the fluid indirectly to the chamber during another phase of operation.

RAYMOND J. MllLER. 

